Policies and Procedures

Please read through the following very carefully before contacting us, so you understand exactly what is involved with applying with WRC to be considered as an adoptive/foster home, and/or if you are interested in volunteering with us.

It is very important that you understand before contacting us that WRC is not a shelter or a referral agency. Nor do we buy and/or sell Westies. We are a national organization that consists solely of volunteers throughout the country who devote their time to helping those Westies who for one reason or another find themselves in need of new homes. We are not brokers, so cannot ... will not ... provide you with a list of breeders or parties interested in buying and/or selling Westies.

WRC operates with the highest standard of ethics and business practices. As we are a rescue organization, our policies mandate that we cannot be used as a "placement service" for anyone wishing to sell a Westie. Nor will we buy a Westie from you to sell to a third-party.

All Westies who join our rescue family are fostered in volunteers' homes until they go to their *forever* homes.

Depending on where you are located, Canada or the US, if you are looking for reputable breeders then contact either the secretary for the Canadian Westie Club, or one of the Westie Club of America's Team Westie Regional Resource Counselors.

Many of the Westies that come into our rescue family are older and tend to have some health and/or behavioural issues. That's not to say that we do not get healthy Westies who need new homes, its just that not all the Westies we have available for adoption at times are in *perfect* health, have wonderful temperaments, and under three or four years of age.

It is rare that puppies come into rescue. If they do, it is usually because of health and/or behavioural problems. With some love, care, training and patience, most of these Westies, regardless of their age, turn out to be wonderful and loving companions

WRC takes in Westies who for one reason or another, are either currently, or soon will be homeless. We will take in Westies from shelters, humane societies, those abandoned at veterinary clinics, etc., Westies orphaned by the loss of their owner, and/or those whose owners find they can no longer look after them - regardless of whatever reasons led to that decision. Some of these reasons are truly heart-wrenching and involve a tremendous amount of love and bravery on the part of the owners to entrust us with finding new homes for their Westies. We are not here to judge the circumstances that may lead to Westies needing new homes, we are here simply to help.

All Westies who join our rescue family are at first:

• Examined by our own volunteers' veterinarians.
• Brought up-to-date on vaccinations, if healthy enough. If we do not have a vaccination record, then we will do titre testing to see if vaccinations are needed.
• Heartworm-checked
• Dewormed (if necessary)
• Any other diagnostic tests and/or treatments if deemed necessary by our vets.
• Teeth cleaning/extractions, if indicated
• Spayed/neutered, unless this cannot be done for medical reasons
• Microchipped
• Assessed for temperament

During this time, the Westie(s) remain in foster care.

The Adoption Process

As we cannot enforce our adoption policies outside of the country, we regret that we are unable to process applications from residents outside of Canada.

As such, while we welcome and are grateful for donations and support from Westie lovers in other countries, we ask that you contact the Westie rescue organization closest to you if you are interested in adopting and/or fostering a Westie. If you are located in the US, then please click here for the Westie Club of America's National Westie Rescue site.

For permanent residents of Canada, in order to get on our waiting list of potential adoptive homes, our policies require that you complete our adoption/foster application, which for your convenience is now provided as a download in both Word and Acrobat format, the link to which is provided further down. Our volunteer application is now online. Again, the link to that is provided further down.

If you prefer we send you any of our applications by regular mail, please complete this form, and we will happily do this providing you send us a SASE. The director or representative for your area will give you the details for where to send the SASE.

We do have a waiting list for people interested in adoption; however it is not on a *first come, first serve* basis. We match our Westies to the *best* possible home for them, and sometimes, the last person to apply with us to adopt, could very well be that *perfect, forever home.*

When/if a Westie becomes available, the person interested in adopting him or her is required to undergo an initial, minimum, three-month fostering period with the dog. At times, the fostering period can be extended for up to several months. The fostering period is is to allow time for the potential new owner to identify problems that may require the dog being returned to our organization. It also allows time for the Westie to settle in with its new family. We recognize that as most of these rescues are an unknown quantity, (possible health and/or behavioral problems), not all situations are a good match for owner or dog. Therefore, the fostering period also provides the foster owner with the opportunity to return the dog to us without question ... or judgment.

During the fostering period, the WRC representative will be in regular contact with you and will want to visit you at least monthly. At the end of the foster term, if all parties are in agreement, the adoption will become final and the appropriate forms will be completed to that effect, along with the exchange of a required adoption donation. The amount of the donation is based on the age and health of the Westie, and this is determined by WRC.

However, once the adoption is final, you won't get rid of us that easily :-) We will remain in touch and will take back the Westie at any time during the remainder of its natural life, regardless of the reason, including if circumstances change in your lives, and you cannot look after it. In fact, the Westie MUST be returned to us if you are no longer in a position to look after it. It also goes without saying, that if we ever suspect any kind of neglect and/or abuse, we do have the legal right to reclaim the Westie, and will take whatever steps necessary to do so.

Our priority at Westie Rescue of Canada is in placing a rescue from a possibly abusive background into a secure, permanent, happy and loving environment. To that end, we have a lengthy and detailed adoption/foster application. In addition, we require three references, plus one from your veterinarian. A home check is also required.

At this time, for people interested solely in adoption, we do not verify your references or do a home check. This will not be done until such a time that a Westie MAY be available for adoption. We will keep your application on file for one year. If any of your information changes during that time, please let us know.

To download our Adoption/Foster form click here

For volunteers interested in becoming approved foster homes with WRC, we will verify references and arrange to do a home check.

Or, you may contact us at our Toll-free number: 1-877-861-3375. If there is no one available to answer your phone call, please leave a message and a representative or director for your area will return your call collect as soon as they possibly can. Please note, for adoption inquiries and general information requests, due to the volume of inquiries we receive, it can take up to two weeks to return phone calls. However, for all calls regarding Westies in Need, we do respond ASAP ... usually within a couple of hours, if not sooner.

Please be sure to include as much information as you can if you leave a message - your name, address, phone number and reason for contacting us.

Please also o bear in mind that although the 'net contains some amazing technology, technical problems have been known to happen - both with voice mail, email and postal mail. Therefore, if you have contacted us either through the web, or by phone, and have not heard back within a few hours, if it is in regard to a Westie Needing help, or up to two weeks, if as indicated above it is regarding adopting a Westie and/or for general inquiries about WRC, then please resend your request. Please allow a wee bit longer if contacting us by postal mail.

Click here for the downloadable form to apply to adopt/foster with WRC

Click here if you wish to complete our volunteer form online

© Westie Rescue of Canada